New Guinea Island Encounter Cruise - X140N

For those with a little more time to spend in and around Brisbane, Head down south to the Gold Coast - only an hour away - where you can experience the iconic Surfers Paradise main beach, shop at the unmissable Pacific Fair, hold a koala and pat a kangaroo at the nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary or hop on the AquaDuck for a family fun tour of the Gold Coast. Heading north-west from Brisbane, you will come across the picturesque Maleny and Montville. These towns are perfect for a day-trip or a couple of nights located high on the Blackall Range, with magnificent views of the Sunshine Coast. They are home to lovely cafes and restaurants, once-off boutique purchases and art galleries. Read more about Brisbane, Australia

Milne Bay is home to almost five hundred islands, ranging from typical tropical islands and atolls through to huge volcanic and continental islands. It is situated at the easternmost inlet on the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea, and gives good access to coral reefs and diving. With no roads connecting it to the rest of the world, it truly is a quiet piece of paradise. It has some of the richest marine biodiversity in the world, and is fast becoming an established mecca for divers, as well as a destination for game and sports fishermen. Read more about Milne Bay (Alotau), Papua New Guinea

Kitava Island is one of the four major coral atolls in the Trobriand Islands archipelago (aka the Kiriwina Islands) located in the Milne Bay Province of SE Papua New Guinea. The islands lie in the Solomon Sea, where many major battles were fought during WWII. To the west lies the main island and administrative centre of Kiriwina. The archipelago is considered to be an important tropical rainforest ecoregion in need of conservation. Read more about Kitava, Papua New Guinea

Rabaul is a town on the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. A busy commercial centre, it is situated on Simpson Harbour, a sheltered inlet of Blanche Bay. Almost the entire old town of Rabaul is buried under volcanic ash, the result of a volcanic eruption in 1994, and one is in awe of the scenery, which resembles an alien prehistoric landscape. Mt Tavurvur is still active and makes for a very interesting trekking tour. Read more about Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

The Trobriand Islands (aka the Kiriwina Islands) are an archipelago of coral atolls off the E coast of Papua New Guinea in Milne Bay Province. Most of the 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main island Kiriwina, the location of the government station, Losuia. Other major islands are Kaileuna, Vakuta, and Kitava. The archipelago is an important tropical rainforest eco-region in need of conservation. Read more about Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea

The Conflict Islands form an atoll in the Coral Sea, 115 km east of the eastern-most tip of Papua New Guinea, in the province of Milne Bay. Nineteen islands enclose a pear-shaped lagoon roughly 10 km by 22 km, plus two small islets in the lagoon. The Islands are owned freehold by international entrepreneur Ian Gowrie-Smith. Want to buy an island as a private resort? Read more about Conflict Islands, Papua New Guinea

For those with a little more time to spend in and around Brisbane, Head down south to the Gold Coast - only an hour away - where you can experience the iconic Surfers Paradise main beach, shop at the unmissable Pacific Fair, hold a koala and pat a kangaroo at the nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary or hop on the AquaDuck for a family fun tour of the Gold Coast. Heading north-west from Brisbane, you will come across the picturesque Maleny and Montville. These towns are perfect for a day-trip or a couple of nights located high on the Blackall Range, with magnificent views of the Sunshine Coast. They are home to lovely cafes and restaurants, once-off boutique purchases and art galleries. Read more about Brisbane, Australia